Good morning {{First name}}!

I filled up last night at $2.13 a litre. With the mayhem in the Middle East, who knows how high gas prices will go. Good thing Victoria is such a walkable and cyclable city. Prime Minister Carney has announced the feds will suspend their fuel excise tax, which means we’ll save 10 cents a litre on gas and four cents a litre on diesel starting on Monday and through the summer until Labour Day.
Alas, it doesn’t look like the provincial government is going to waive any of its fees.

— Mark

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

Today: 🌦️ 8 / 4

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 11 / 5

Friday: 🌤️ 12 / 7

7-day forecast

Tomorrow, Esquimalt will pause to remember the sailors who died when the last Canadian warship sank in the Second World War.

Forty-four crew members died when HMCS Esquimalt, a Bangor-class minesweeper, was sunk off the coast of Halifax on April 16, 1945, just 22 days before Germany’s unconditional surrender. The war would officially end on Sept. 2, 1945, when Japan formally surrendered.

The Township of Esquimalt erected a memorial cairn in 1989 and holds a service every April to commemorate the ship’s sinking.

The public is invited to honour the service and sacrifice of Canadian sailors at the HMCS Esquimalt Memorial in Memorial Park, Esquimalt.

The Department of National Defence says that enemy forces laid mines only once in Canadian waters, so Bangor minesweepers primarily served as escorts.

In September 1944, HMCS Esquimalt underwent a three-month refit in Halifax. The ship was on anti-submarine patrol with a total crew of 71, including 64 sailors and seven officers, when it was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat.

Still in sight of Halifax Harbour, the sailors endured six hours in the frigid water before rescue arrived. Forty-four crew members died, many from hypothermia, while 27 survived.

Tomorrow’s ceremony begins at 10am.

Single-lane alternating traffic:
Gorge Road East, between Balfour and Albany. The south sidewalk is closed. Today and tomorrow, 9am-3pm. [City of Vic]

Cedar Hill Cross between Saint Aidan’s and Iona, today, 9am-3:30pm

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life.

Rents continue to drop across Canada—and Victoria is no exception. 

According to Rentals.ca’s latest rent report, the average monthly cost for a one-bedroom unit in the city ($1,975) was 1.2% lower than in February, and the average cost for a two-bedroom dropped 0.9% to $2,584.

Compared with the same time last year, the difference is even more significant—one-bedroom prices were 5.6% lower than in March 2025, and two-bedrooms were 4.3% lower.

The average cost of rent for all unit types last month was $2,255, making Victoria the 16th most expensive city in Canada.

Across the country, the average asking rent price has fallen 5.3% ($112) since last March, to $2,008. That figure is similar to rent in March 2023 and $173 less on average than when prices peaked in 2024.

BC had the largest drop in purpose-built rental costs in Canada—4.8%—and the second-largest for all unit types at 5.1%.

“British Columbia continues to lead Canada when it comes to falling rent prices for apartments,” Christina Boyle, BC’s housing minister, said in a statement.

“We understand that we need to redouble our efforts to ensure we can reduce the cost to deliver more homes for people across this province to see these trends continue.”

Boyle said rent costs and housing would be a top issue as the legislature resumed this week.

Laugh, cry, and jig when A Taste of Ireland takes the Royal Theatre stage on May 5 at 7:30pm. Starring world champion Irish dancers with credits spanning Off-Broadway and London's West End, this acclaimed production weaves live folk music, a cappella tap battles, and Ireland's history into one unforgettable night.

🥾 Summer camp registration starts today:
Oak Bay at 6:30am
City of Victoria at 7am

🎪 West Coast Amusements is back at Mayfair next week. 

⚓🚴 Ready, Aye, Ride: Navy Bike Ride is on May 30.

📚 GVPL is celebrating poetry month throughout April. Explore the library’s roundup of Indigenous poetry or check out one of its poetry zine-making sessions.

🏍️ Victoria Motorcycle Club seen revving up for a race in 1959. [Facebook photo]

RCMP say suspect in dark web, trafficking case was last seen in Victoria 
Drug and organized crime investigators went to Germany to escort Isaac Oliveira Scott, 29, extradited to Canada this week in an international case they’ve been working on for four years. A second man, Treshaun Thompson, 28, faced charges in the same investigation, but he absconded and was last seen in September in the Rockland neighbourhood. Police say a group used cryptocurrency, the dark web, and Canada Post to sell illegal drugs and counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. [CHEK]

North Saanich fire victim dies in hospital a month after blaze
A man has died nearly a month after sustaining serious injuries during a March 14 fire at a Deep Cove property. He died on April 11 while being treated at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. A witness to the fire said she heard a “huge pop” that rattled the windows of her building that afternoon, followed by “blood-curdling screams.” She found the victim lying on his stomach, engulfed in flames, and threw a coat over him to extinguish them. [Victoria News]

Langford approves 5-year plan, 10.22% property tax hike for 2026
It’ll be the third time in the past four years that property owners will have had to pay a double-digit increase. It means an extra $270 for the owner of the average home. The council averted a projected 15.61% boost by trimming spending on staff travel and training, Langford’s e-bike program, and municipal watering. It also left pay increases for the mayor and councillors to the council that comes in after this fall’s municipal election. [Times Colonist]

Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!

Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Capital Region.

📃 Wills & Estates Essentials: Free talk: Learn the essentials of wills, power of attorney, and health-care representation agreements with guest speaker Jessica E. Izard, from Cook Roberts Law, today. Bamboo Room, Monterey Rec Centre. 1-2:30pm. [Info]

🎷 Victoria Jazz Jam Session 10: The Tom Vickery Trio hosts a monthly jazz jam, open to musicians wanting to sit in and listeners alike, at The Coda tonight. 6:30–8:30pm. [Info]

🎶 The Arbutus Night of Music: Arbutus Global Middle School takes over the Farquhar for an evening of student performances. Farquhar Auditorium, UVic, today. 7pm. [Info]

🎸 The John Moulder Quintet: Chicago-based jazz guitarist John Moulder, known for recordings with Pat Metheny's rhythm section, brings his distinct improvisational voice to Hermann's tonight. 7–9pm. [Info]

🎵 In Spite of Ourselves: The Music of John Prine: Multi-instrumentalist Doug Cox, Juno winners Tom and Kalissa Landa of the Paperboys, and songwriter Steve Mitchell gather for a joyously heartfelt tribute to the late John Prine's deep catalogue. The Coda, tonight. 9–11pm. [Info]

🪱 Spring Speaker Series: Tales from the Underground with Andy MacKinnon. The forest ecologist, author, professor, biologist, and mycologist digs into our West Coast soils to shed light on what happens beneath our feet. Events Pavilion, Sooke Region Museum, tomorrow. 7pm. [Info]

🍴🎵 Artemisia: Light & Shadow: A unique Italian-themed musical dinner featuring an exploration of the life of artist and feminist heroine Artemisia Gentileschi, set to arias by female Baroque composers. Leonardo Da Vinci Centre, Friday & Saturday. 6pm. [Info]  

🪑 A Seat at the Table: Stories of life seen through the lens of food and restaurant culture. Sidney Museum and Archives’ 2026 featured exhibit. Sidney Museum. April 24-Nov. 15. [Info]

Tuesday’s headlines: 10 years of BC’s toxic drug crisis; Tsunami preparedness week begins; Sooke man found dead, 2 arrested. [April 14]

Obituary: Songhees Elder Skip Dick co-founded the Victoria Native Friendship Centre. [Times Colonist]

Feds to suspend excise tax on gas and diesel starting Monday. [CTV / CP] 

Scary encounter: Small dog yaps at big elk. [CHEK]

Yoga fundraiser: Stretch and support the Victoria Native Friendship Centre. Saturday, 10am-2pm. [Info]

The Saanich Earth Day Festival is on Saturday.

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to a fellow Victorian.

And before you go, let us know: